Interest intensifies in Cairney

Interest is intensifying in Fulham central midfielder Tom Cairney ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by TEAMtalk, who claim that Sheffield United are considering a move for the 30-year-old Fulham captain this summer.

It is reported that the Blades’ new manager, Slavisa Jokanovic, is desperate to secure a reunion with this former player at Bramall Lane ahead of his side’s Championship campaign, with the Cottagers believed to be demanding a fee of around £10m to part with the Scotland international.

Should Fulham sell Cairney for £10m?

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Parker must not sell

While Cairney did not feature all that much for Fulham this season, something that is largely down to the fact the midfielder spent a considerable amount of time on the sidelines due to a knee injury, the £8.1m-rated man nevertheless proved just how important he is within Scott Parker’s side over his limited time on the pitch.

Over his 10 Premier League appearances this term, the 30-year-old scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.7 key passes and taking 1.2 shots per game.

The £27k-per-week midfielder also highly impressed with his range of passing, completing an average of 54.8 passes per game – with a 92% accuracy rate – as well as making an average of four successful long balls and 2.9 successful chipped passes per appearance.

These metrics saw the player Parker has dubbed as “outstanding” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.28, ranking him as the club’s best performer in the Premier League by quite a considerable distance.

As such, considering just how crucial the midfielder appears to be within the side, if Fulham were to lose the services of Cairney ahead of their Championship campaign, it would undoubtedly put a huge dent in the club’s chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League come the end of next season, especially if they lose him to a direct promotion rival like Sheff United.

And, with failure to achieve promotion next term being something of a disaster for Parker and his team, it would seem highly advisable for the 40-year-old to do all he can to keep hold of Cairney this summer.